LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Heroin and much stronger synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanil pose a threat to emergency responders at the scene of a drug crime or overdose.

But the risk of exposure among police K-9s responsible for detecting narcotics has heightened as the opioid epidemic worsens locally and nationwide, according to Lafayette Police Department.

"As a K-9 supervisor, I (thought) we probably needed to look at this, because we know that fentayl and carfentanil are within our community and surrounding communities," LPD Sgt. BT Brown said. "The chance of a K-9 getting exposed obviously has increased in a short matter of time."

To mitigate the threat to K-9s, LPD and members of other local police departments participated in training earlier this year offered by Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital's emergency and critical care team, led by Professor Paula Johnson.

During the training, K-9 handlers received hands-on lessons on administering Narcan, an anti-overdose medication, to dogs through intranasal and intramuscular injections.

"I think it’s the prevalence that’s the issue," Johnson said. "Just the fact that (opioids have) become much more prevalent, much more available, much more accessible."

Fentanyl, a powerful painkiller, and carfentanil, an elephant tranquilizer, are powders that can become airborne and deposited as a residue on surfaces.The synthetic opioids, hundreds of times stronger than heroin, can be ingested through the skin of a human or animal.

K-9s are more likely to be exposed than humans because their paws and noses come in closer contact with the drugs as they sniff out narcotics, Johnson said. Dogs can also be exposed later if particles stick to their fur.

"If they do any kind of licking or grooming, then they're exposed in that way, as well," Johnson said, "so their risk of exposure is pretty significant."

Tippecanoe County has not faced an exposure scare among its emergency responders or K-9s. But Purdue's veterinary clinic has treated pets in the past that were exposed to drugs or that overdosed, Johnson said.

"We have seen exposures here before, and actually not by police officers," she said.

Brown said he hopes that day never comes. But drug calls often are unpredictable and dangerous due to the unknown conditions inside a car or home, he said.

Two K-9s in Dade County, Florida, were revived in a single day by a single officer, Brown learned during a law enforcement conference last year.

"We have no idea what the history of that car or that person, where they’ve been, what the house is. We don’t know if there's a potential for that stuff to already be airborne, on clothing where the dog could ingest it nasally," he said. "That’s the reason why it's important that we're prepared for that, in case it would happen."